Children who are in active motion often fall and get injured. What is a concussion in a child, his symptoms, first aid to a toddler are the main questions of this article. Knowing basic things will not let mom fall into a stupor in the event of a tragedy and will allow you to instantly respond to the situation.
Toddler hit his head
What is a concussion
Even a slight bump with the head on a hard surface in children does not go unnoticed. Signs may not appear immediately, which threatens with serious consequences.
Concussion is understood as complications in the work of the brain, which negatively affect the work of the central nervous system. One of the symptoms of the problem is the growing dynamics of functional disorders, which develops in stages.
Note! If the first moments after the impact in the child the concussion does not appear, then after a while a sharp deterioration in health is possible.
Severity
| Power | Features: |
|---|---|
| I | Mild concussion is characterized by slight dizziness and temporary weakness, accompanied by vomiting. The child does not lose consciousness and is even able to return to the interrupted game after 20-30 minutes |
| II | When the head is struck, a minor injury appears on the skull, accompanied by a hematoma. The child is in prostration for some time, is not able to move independently and may even lose consciousness for a short time. A characteristic symptom is nausea with vomiting for several hours |
| III | The most severe and dangerous degree of concussion, accompanied by internal trauma and hemorrhage in the skull. As a rule, the child is unconscious for a long period. |
The third degree is life-threatening, so you should react quickly to injury, immediately calling an ambulance.
Trauma with hematoma
Danger of concussion for children under one year old
Head injuries are dangerous for a child of any age; even a slight blow can be fatal for babies. Physiologically, in children under one year old, body weight is disproportionately distributed - the head is heavier than the body. Therefore, when falling from a height, the baby always lands on the parietal part.
Even from a minor blow, a lump will appear at the site of the injury, as evidence of tissue edema. The baby's bones are soft, so any blow can provoke a crack in the skull, which may turn out to be internal, not visible to visual identification.
A more serious consequence of a bruise is the divergence of bone tissue. This happens when the meninges rupture and requires urgent operable intervention.
Additional Information. The fall of a baby from a great height can end not only with a concussion, but also with a fracture of the cervical vertebrae.
Effects
Dr. Komarovsky says that if you do not pay attention to the bruise in a timely manner, in the future, the baby will have difficulties:
- he will be tormented by frequent headaches;
The baby is tormented by headaches
- the toddler will become whiny, irritable;
- will tire quickly and sleep poorly.
Having received even a slight concussion, in the future the child will turn into a small "barometer" - he will become more sensitive to changes in the weather.
Important! Severe TBI over time can lead to the development of epilepsy.
All the consequences of a shock are cumulative. The more severe the degree of the disease, the greater the risk of impaired physical and mental development. In subsequent years, the child may show signs of depression (due to headaches) and parkinsonism.
Causes of concussion in children under one year old
Not only children who have learned to walk can get a concussion, but also those who have just been born and are not sitting yet. Among babies under one year old, the rate of injury is the highest - they account for 25% of all cases of head bruises among children of all ages. Of these, 2% are babies in the first month of life.
Among the reasons due to which the brain suffers, the most characteristic are:
- toddlers of the first months manage to fall out of bed, sofa, changing table;
- there were cases when a newborn slipped out of the hands of an adult or an older child;
- having learned to sit down, a nursing baby, left unattended, risks falling out of the stroller;
- children crawling or starting to walk on their own often bump their heads against furniture, walls, floors, and convex corners.
The kid fell
Even zealous motion sickness of an infant before bedtime can result in a concussion.
How to avoid the problem
It is the responsibility of the parents to protect the baby from brain injury. Concussion can be avoided by following these rules:
- Do not leave the little one alone on the couch, adult bed, changing table, in the stroller. Even a child who does not know how to roll over will easily slide down if he actively works with his legs;
- As soon as the baby is released to the floor, all third-party objects are removed from the room, on which the baby may stumble or hit;
- It is advisable to purchase furniture with rounded corners - this will reduce the risk of serious injury.
Do not shake small children or hit them on the head. Both the one-year-old child and the one that has just been born do not yet know how to live by the rules of adults. Such measures of influence will not calm down the crumbs, but they can provoke a concussion.
How to identify a child's concussion
The difficulty lies in the fact that the baby is not yet able to complain about his health. Therefore, mom will have to learn to recognize the symptoms that triggered the fall. Crying is the first indication that a child is ill.
Signs of a concussion:
- the baby refuses to eat;
- does not sleep well;
- there is a constant belching that can turn into vomiting;
- the skin on the face becomes pale.
Important! If the little one hits its head, you should immediately feel the fontanel - it increases from a concussion.
Baby vomited
With a mild form of injury, the baby can calm down after a while, this often confuses parents, weakening their attention. Even with such a bruise, the toddler must be immediately shown to the doctor (neuropathologist or pediatrician).
A moderate concussion in infants under one year old is characterized by loss of consciousness for a period of 40 to 60 minutes. This is caused by contact of the brain with the cranium, which occurred during the impact.
In young children, a skull fracture characteristic of grade 3 concussion can be recognized by the following symptoms:
- sweating;
- anxiety;
- pallor of the skin on the face or, conversely, redness due to rush of blood;
- short-term loss of vision and orientation in space.
A light liquid may leak from the ears or nose of the baby. This cerebrospinal fluid is a special substance that is "obliged" to protect the brain from injury.
How long does it take for symptoms to appear
Before the baby had time to fall and hit his head, his mother immediately tries to recognize the signs of a concussion and, not finding, calms down. In infants, it is impossible to immediately identify a traumatic brain injury, no matter how severe it may be.
The first symptoms will begin to appear in an hour and a half, or even later (the so-called "light period"). Therefore, close attention is required for the condition and behavior of the baby for several days after the injury.
First aid for a baby after a fall
Immediately, as soon as the baby fell, the first action of the parents is to call an ambulance. Before the arrival of doctors, they adhere to the following rules:
- the baby is placed in a crib, taking into account the severity of the injury:
- with a mild degree - just on the side (this position will not allow the baby to choke on vomit if they appear);
- for medium and heavy - the child's legs are bent at the knees, palms are placed under the cheek;
Position - strictly on the side
- to reduce the headache, a cold compress is applied to the site of the injury;
- when the wound is open and blood is flowing, a gauze bandage will be needed.
If the little one refuses to lie in the crib, dodges, the mother carefully puts him in her bed and sits down next to him, trying to calm the child.
Important! In case of a serious injury, the baby should not be carried in his arms - his spine could be injured when falling from a height.
What is contraindicated
In a situation where the baby has hurt his head, parents should not scream and panic. This will only scare the little family member, adding even more anxiety. There are a number of actions that should never be done if the baby has a skull injury:
- the child should not be laid on his back, especially if he is unconscious;
- the toddler is not left unattended for a minute, they make sure that he does not turn over and does not get up;
- you can not slap on the cheeks and shake the shoulders;
- you should not give your child pain medication;
- it is not recommended to water the crumbs - this can increase the gag reflex;
- all sudden movements are excluded;
- before the ambulance arrives, the baby is not allowed to sleep.
Some mothers, having found a wound on the head of the crumbs, try to immediately treat it with brilliant green, iodine or alcohol. This should not be done so that the visiting doctor could assess the situation more realistically.
When to contact a specialist
Signs of a concussion in a child under one year old are slightly different from those in older children. Even a severe degree can sometimes pass without loss of consciousness. Despite the fact that there are no visible reasons for concern in the first minutes, they consult a doctor immediately after a bruise. The problem will manifest itself later, when the situation is already running.
Important! You cannot transport the baby to the hospital on your own - you should wait for the arrival of an ambulance.
It is visually difficult to understand how serious the injury is. Therefore, the toddler must be examined immediately (even if the injury seemed light). For diagnostics, use:
- X-ray of the head - it will help determine if there is a bone fracture;
- echoencephalography - by the position of the midline of the brain, the presence of a hematoma is judged;
- electroencephalography - assigned to young children in extreme cases, with suspicion of severe TBI; the study allows you to determine the activity of the brain;
- neurosonography - based on an ultrasound scan performed through an ungrown fontanelle; gives a complete picture and helps to identify the true signs of a concussion in a child.
Brain diagnostics
Recently, instead of EEG, the doctor prescribes an MRI or CT scan, which allows you to check the state of the brain, its structure with maximum accuracy, to detect the places of accumulation of hematomas and to identify damage to the skull. The second variant of tomography for young children is preferable - it does not require the use of anesthesia.
Treatment
The main therapy depends on the results of the diagnosis. At the first 2 degrees of severity, drug treatment is not required - the baby is prescribed only plant-based vitamins that act on the ionic level. In this case, the baby is kept at home.
If the concussion is accompanied by a hematoma, cerebral edema, will require inpatient observation with the appointment of such drugs:
- drugs that relieve edema and lower intracranial pressure (their doctor selects them individually for each child);
- medicines that improve blood circulation in the brain and metabolic processes;
- diuretics (Furosemide, Diakarb);
- pills that restore the level of potassium (Panangin, Asparkam).
If the little one is too mobile, additional sedatives will be assigned to him. The injured child needs to be treated in a calm environment.
The mother and the baby will have to stay at the neurological hospital for at least 4 days. In severe concussion, therapy can last up to 3 weeks. The child is additionally examined for the state of the nervous system, organs of hearing, vision (the pupil is examined), the vestibular apparatus, etc.
The younger the child, the greater the risk of getting a concussion, which cannot be detected from the first minutes of head injury. Only under the supervision of the parents, how quickly the doctor will examine the baby. Not only the health of the baby, but also his life directly depends on timely diagnosis.
